Total War: Rome 2 is all about politics and backstabbing

As we all know, ancient Rome had more than its share of political infighting, or backstabbing, if you will. Famously, between 235 and 284 AD there were 21 ‘official’ emperors, of whom all but one died of unnatural causes.

For Total War: Rome 2, Creative Assembly are looking to capitalise on this penchant for treachery ramping up the prominence of politics as a mechanic in the game, without “interfering with the standard strategy gameplay”.

The game’s campaign designer, Dominique Starr said it was “pretty tough” including mental manipulation in a way that was still enjoyable, however, he felt “not representing that would be a huge mistake”.

In the original Rome: Total War, Creative Assembly broke the Roman Empire into three distinct playable factions, based on the state’s noble houses. Although you started allied with the other Roman factions, the temptation to go for your neighbours land’s would escalate throughout the game, until someone decided to damn the Senate and claim the entire empire for themselves.

Rome 2 also expands on the original via a much bigger map, which is “four times as large” as the original Rome’s and goes further into the Middle East and Africa, among other theatres of war.